Time for Editorials and Letter-Writing: SB 659


Sunday’s Glendale News-Press editorial signed by our local elected representatives lays out the very bad news resulting from December’s California Supreme Court Decision: “millions of dollars of local tax revenue, which would have been invested in our community, must now be redirected to Sacramento.”

California SB 659, introduced by Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), would delay ending redevelopment agencies and allow consideration of a scaled-back program. Glendale City Council agreed to support it last week.

Without quick action, at least $8 million per year will no longer be available for the city of Glendale to balance its own budget, according to Chief Assistant Community Development Director Phil Lanzafame. Redevelopment agencies will have to shut down operations by February 1.

What else is at stake for Glendale? The Alex Theatre and Glendale Arts, a Central Library renovation, downtown live/work developments, and more. In Northwest Glendale, the Casa Verdugo Branch Library renovation, a three-month project that began December 30 (the day after the court decision!) no longer qualifies for redevelopment funds. The city is taking over funding through Public Works, which of course means less money available for other Public Works projects.

It isn’t just time for major editorials, it’s time for a letter-writing campaign to state-level representatives who are looking everywhere to close the state budget gap. They need to be told that local agencies understand how best to deploy funds in local contexts, and that dissolving agencies like Glendale’s will lead to more job losses and problems for this community as well as for the state.

A short, sample letter to state officials:

Dear Governor Brown, State Assembly Representative Mike Gatto, and State Senator Carol Liu,

Please support and sign SB 659 (Padilla), a bill that would temporarily postpone the scheduled February 1, 2012 date to dissolve California’s 425 redevelopment agencies.

Temporarily postponement will allow time to develop a solution that ensures that no further funds are taken from municipalities to close gaps in the state budget, and to provide options for cities like Glendale which have a significant amount invested in cultural and civic projects such as the historic Alex Theatre and library renovations and upgrades.

Once the dissolution process starts, it can lead to lawsuits, endless delays, and ongoing conflict. Thousands of jobs and vital economic development and affordable housing projects will be lost in the meantime.

I support continuation of a redevelopment program in a form that is focused on local community needs such as the arts and our libraries, environmentally sustainable growth, and community improvement and investment.

Please support and sign SB 659 to temporarily postpone the dissolution of redevelopment agencies and work to create a new, scaled-down program that will allow local agencies to decide how to make the best use of funds to create jobs, and build our communities.